Uni terror books shelved due to prosecution fear

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THE removal of banned books promoting acts of terrorism from
Melbourne University's main library will limit the legitimate
research of staff and students, according to university head Glyn
Davis.

The university has removed two books  Defence of the
Muslim Lands and Join the Caravan  from its
library shelves after they were refused classification by the
Office of Film and Literature Classification.

A third book, The Lofty Mountain, by the same author,
Sheikh Abdallah Azzam, has been taken off the shelf pending
clarification of its status. In a letter to federal
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, Melbourne vice-chancellor Glyn
Davis asked for an assurance that limited access to the books for
research purposes was acceptable "and would not place the
university, its staff or students at risk of prosecution".

In July, after Mr Ruddock submitted eight books for review, the
two books were refused classification for promoting crimes of
violence, specifically terrorist acts.

A coalition of library organisations and the Australian Society
of Authors said in a statement that the forced removal of books
threatens the freedom to state opinion without fear. "We can't
refute what we can't read."

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